1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an improved chrominance video system and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for encoding and decoding video signals with an improved chrominance characteristic.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic imaging cameras for recording still images are now well known in the art. Such cameras can record a plurality of still images on a single magnetic disk or tape in either analog or digital format for subsequent playback on any well known cathode ray tube viewing device or for subsequent recording in hard copy by any one of a variety of copiers such as photographic, thermal, ink jet, etc. Recently, it has been proposed by the Japanese to standardize the magnetic disk in which still images are recorded to a 47 mm floppy disk. However, conventional specifications for storing electronic information on a 47 mm floppy disk suffers as a result of limited chrominance video bandwidth. For example, if 25 full frames or 50 single field images are stored on a conventional 47 mm floppy disk, the Y luminance information signal has a bandwidth of 4.5 MHz and each sequential line of chrominance information (R-Y and B-Y) has a bandwidth of 1 MHz. This limited chrominance signal bandwidth can adversely effect edge color definition.
Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method by which video signals may be encoded and decoded on a conventional 47 mm floppy disk with an improved chrominance characteristic.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for encoding and decoding video signals utilizing two tracks of a conventional floppy disk in which one track may be decoded in the ordinary manner with the attendant disadvantages of a limited chrominance bandwidth and both tracks may be decoded in the manner of this invention with the advantages attendant an improved chrominance signal characteristic.
Other objects of the invention will be, in part, obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises a mechanism and system possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure.